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The differences between safety representatives and environmental health specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a safety representative and an environmental health specialist. Additionally, an environmental health specialist has an average salary of $54,789, which is higher than the $50,717 average annual salary of a safety representative.
The top three skills for a safety representative include OSHA, safety procedures and corrective action. The most important skills for an environmental health specialist are environmental health, EHS, and OSHA.
| Safety Representative | Environmental Health Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $50,717 | $54,789 |
| Hourly rate | $24.38 | $26.34 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 15,531 | 69,497 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A safety representative is responsible for reiterating safety protocols and regulations in the workplace to prevent potential hazards and operational delays. Safety representatives facilitate training and programs for the employees and inform them of any communications related to their safety and wellbeing. They also submit incident reports to the safety manager and provide recommendations to minimize risks and practice emergency drills. A safety representative must have excellent communication and organizational skills to create a safe environment for operations.
An Environmental Health Specialist is responsible for determining the existence of possible health hazards and taking measures to prevent or corect them. They monitor health and safety conditions in resedential, industrial, commercial, and recreational settings.
Safety representatives and environmental health specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Safety Representative | Environmental Health Specialist | |
| Average salary | $50,717 | $54,789 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $78,000 | Between $38,000 And $77,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Santa Rosa, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Alaska |
| Best paying company | ConocoPhillips | ICU Medical |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a safety representative and an environmental health specialist in terms of educational background:
| Safety Representative | Environmental Health Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Business | Public Health |
| Most common college | San Diego State University | University of California, Berkeley |
Here are the differences between safety representatives' and environmental health specialists' demographics:
| Safety Representative | Environmental Health Specialist | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 77.5% Female, 22.5% | Male, 62.8% Female, 37.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 5.6% White, 62.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 5.7% White, 62.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |